Loud Thinking

2 Things Your Data Visualization Needs

Data is easier to understand when it’s presented visually. But sometimes designers get wrapped up in the exercise of making something beautiful and forget to make it functional. Here are two things to keep in mind when creating an infographic:

Know your audience. You can’t help your viewers make a decision unless you know what they’re looking for. Ask yourself: How will they read and interpret the information? What do they know already and what do they want to find out?

Tell a story. The right graph and data range should convey a compelling narrative. Create a visual that helps the viewer observe, understand, and make sense of the information.

Adapted by HBR from “The Three Elements of Successful Data Visualizations,” by Jim Stikeleather.